Safeguarding Ocean Environment
On June 8 of every year we celebrate the “World Ocean Day”. This special celebration was created in 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to focus on our personal connection to the sea and on our awareness of the fact that the oceans occupy 70% of the earth’s surface and constitute over 90% of the volume of the biosphere. This year’s focus is on polar- ecosystem and other effects of climate change. Rising carbon dioxide emission are making our ocean more acidic, scientists report. They inform us that the Southern Ocean around Antarctica is loaded with carbon dioxide it can barley absorbed any more. They also say that more of the gas rise onto the earth’s atmosphere and warm-up the planet. This has brought great disaster to marine life. Another area of focus is on marine genetic resource that has great potential value. In exploring them, we must consider the environmental and biological impact. This marine genetic resource is the new area of great interest to international communities. Over 2000 scientists from 80 countries are now researching the world’s oceans and conducting census of marine life . I appreciate the results of their explorations. I make good use of the new knowledge of the oceans from their findings, and the under-water photographs of marine life that they take in my computer artwork to support safeguarding the environment. For friends who are interested in making use of this wealth of information, digital images and photographs, you can go on-line at the website of the UN Atlas of Oceans that currently contains more than 4000 entries and maintains by a group of experts and United Nations volunteers. Since fish and other beautiful marine creatures are the subject of my paintings, I am concern when reading in the World Ocean Newsletter of new white syndrome coral disease causing by the warming of ocean temperatures in the Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and the declining numbers of sharks due to over-fishing and lack of people’s understanding about the connection between keeping the ocean environment favorable to life- replenishing, conservation, fishing and shark fining, The people of China and of other East and South-east Asian countries, in particular, must be made aware of these linkages. We must urge the people around the world via communication media to stop supporting the cruel method of shark fishing and shark-fin food industry by for example, not eating the food produced from shark fins. The future of the oceans depends on all our combined small and big efforts to keep it healthy for all life on this earth.
Filed under Environment, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)Artwork on Climate Change
Congratulation to Charlette Sullivan, an eleven-year old student of the United Kindom, for winning the first prize in the United Nations Environment Programme’s International Children’s Painting Competition for her painting, rendering of the world as umbrella turned inside out by powerful storm. I also want to commend the organizers for managing to get participation of 14,000 children from 104 countries in this worthwhile activities which inspired the whole world to put more effort in solving the problem of global warming.
Filed under Art, Environment | Comment (0)Climate Change and Society
There is significant progress in the move towards a low-carbon economy. The Global roundtable on climate change, organized on Thursday, 17 May 2007 in Bonn, Germany by Columbia University as a side event at the 26th Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), shows how some business corporations have done a good job in setting up policies and action plans to reduce carbon dioxide emission from both direct and indirect sources. BASF targets to reduce GHG emission by 38%, relative to a 1990 baseline, and sets a goal to reduce specific GHG emissions per ton of sales products. Deutsche Telekom targets to reduce GHG emissions by 50%, relative to a 1995 baseline, by 2010, and aims to decouple energy consumption from carbon dioxide emission. DuPont achieves the target to reduce GHG emission by 40%, relative to a 1990 baseline, by 1990, ahead of time. The company sets a new target to reduce emissions by 65% by 2010 with sustainability goals to reduce DuPont ‘s footprint regarding water conservation, car fleet fuel efficiency and air carcinogens. Endesa, a global electricity and gas company, sets energy efficiency measures and plans to reduce emissions post 2012 and participate in variety of Carbon Funds. Columbia University’s global roundtable on climate change provides a forum for discussion, analysis and exchange of ideas among businesses from all economic sectors and all parts of the world, including international institutions, NGOs and leading academic experts. To meet the needs for professionals who understand the links between climate and society, the Columbia University contributes greatly by providing new knowledge and skills in this area. The university’s campus in New York City organizes courses for an M.A degree in the field of Climate Change, Climate Prediction, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences to international students from around the world to promote knowledge and encourage voluntary action by world community at all levels to deal with the problem that we all face on climate change. For people who are interested in organizing community action, look for the present state of knowledge that is made available to us by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Filed under Environment, Science, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (1)Groundbreaking Day
I could not agree more with Margaret Beckett, UK Foreign Secretary who chaired the Security Council, that April 17 was a groundbreaking day at the UN Headquarters. For the first time, The Security Council debated climate change issue that could threatens world peace and security. At the debate, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that access to energy, scarcity of food and water could transform peaceful competition into conflicts and that the projected climate change could not only have serious environmental, social and economic implications, but implications for peace and security as well. He warned us that compared to the cost of conflict and its consequence; the cost of prevention would be far lower in financial terms and in human lives. Some country representatives expressed their disagreement to bringing the issue of climate change for discussion in the Security Council. They said that climate change and energy are issues for the General Assembly to deal with. The United States’ representative said that climate change presented serious challenges, citing the agreement at the meeting two years ago of the group of Eight leaders that energy, security, climate change and sustainable development were fundamentally linked. Brett Schaefer and Ben Lieberman, experts from the Heritage Foundation, somehow disagreed. They issued a paper, distributed to the members of civil society, saying that the security implication of climate change was merely speculative at this point and, even if they result as predicted, would not pose an immediate threat for decades, therefore, not appropriate for debate by the Security Council at this time. Margaret Beckett, stood her ground and argued that climate change is the issue that is right for debate by members of the Security Council and that UK was not the only country that held this view. There were 52 countries participated in the debate. Beckett also noted that a group of retired US generals recently put out a report projecting that climate change poses a serious threat to America’s national security and will act as a “threat multiplier” for instability in some of the world most volatile regions. They suggested that the US should integrate consequences of climate change into national security and defense strategies. France also supported bringing the issue for debate in the Security Council under its mandate “to prevent conflict”. China, the Russian Federation, and some other representatives of developing countries maintained their original position that climate change was the issue for debate by the General Assembly and by other appropriate international forums because the Security Council has no expert knowledge on this issue.
Filed under Environment, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)Security Implication of Changing Climate
There are potential drivers of conflict at national and international level from climate change and global warming. Damage to earth’s weather systems from Greenhouse gases will change rainfall pattern. Up to 30 percent of animal and plant species will be vulnerable to extinction if global temperatures rise by 1.5 - 2.5 degrees Celsius, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report said. Conflict among people arise when resources become scarce and when access to energy, water and food are limited. The rise of sea level from melting of glaziers, and the change of landscape, especially along the coastal areas, will bring about border disputes among countries. Thanks to the initiative of the United Kingdom, Chair of the Security Council for April, these security risks will be put on the table for discussions. For the first time, members of the UN Security Council will debate the security implication of global warming on April 17. These debates will surely raise public awareness on future security implications and future dangers that we are facing. The timing of the Security Council debate is good as an appropriate follow-up to difficult negotiations by governments and scientists at the recent IPCC Meeting in Brussels, Belgium. The study of climate change around the world forecast different impact among the different regions affecting billions of people. Africa will be hardest hit by water shortage. Asia will face massive flooding by the melting of ice from the Himalayas. Australia will loose it’s corals of the Great Barrier Reef. And North America will have to deal with more severe storm. We are waiting for the outcome of this important Security Council debates and the following recommendations for action to prevent impending global disaster.
Filed under Environment, Science, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)Conflicts Over Water
A while ago, someone said to me that men conduct wars over oil, but women fight over water. We can see conflicts over water resource happen on a daily basis in villages in Asia, Africa and Latin America among rural women at wells or community water pump, where they fetch water for household use. Now, a large number of people live in cities, so conflict over water has become urbanized. Conflicts result from people asking for connection to the water supply without the means to pay for the cost or, in some areas from scarcity and lack of access to clean drinking water. The analysis of the controversy over the management of water resources in the urban setting by UNESCO gives us insight into these problems in Brazil, Mexico, France, India, Indonesia, Argentina, Italy and Germany. Publication of the analysis warns us that we should take good care of this limitted resource, and that drinking water supply is a scarce resource that human beings cannot live without therefore, people will fight when lack of supply. The study also provides us with knowledge of the origin and nature of water-related unrest and conflict in the urban context that requires urgent action by global community now and in the future, if we want peace in the world. The UN Millennium Development Goal has called for having the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015, which is only eight more years away. Population growth, hyper-urbanization, poverty, disparity in the world are related issues to water resource use. We should consider all these issues together for taking action to achieve the set goal.
Filed under Environment, United Nations | Comment (0)Fuelwood Use and Climate Change
I am glad that more and more people are questioning whether we give enough attention to the use wood as fuel by a large number of people around the world for daily cooking and heating, especially in the developing countries. It is of concerned that more than half the volume of total wood removals from forest and trees is used to generate energy in the home. We need a dialogue at all levels on the environment impact in the use of wood for generating energy and on the questions rose about the impact of increased fuelwood use and the use of wood residues and waste. In Tanzania for example, wood meets 92 per cent of energy requirements. Is that good or bad from the perspective of environmental impact? Wood fuel demand drives to rapid destruction of forest cover. Do we need guidelines for wood harvesting and charcoal burning to prevent forest destruction? We need also to promote cleaner fuelwood use by improving stoves and charcoal-making technology. Balance has to be maintained in preventing destruction of forest and the country’s need for not relying on imported oil energy. It is encouraging to know that some communities are now establishing tree planting for energy, and address integrated land use issues. The recent meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held earlier this month rightly focused on forest and energy as a new challenge in sustainable forest management. This is an issue that relates to climate change. Many representatives wanted assistance in developing comprehensive and integrated national bio-energy strategies, which include wood energy. We should match a higher demand for wood with increasing production of trees and efficient use of biomass. The issue of energy for sustainable development and climate change will be taken up this coming May, at the meeting of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in New York. On this issues there are some good news: the European Union’s effort to target 20% reduction of carbon emissions by 2020, and Brazil 45% of energy consumed comes from renewable sources and 80 per cent of cars sold have flex fuel engines enable them to run on either gasoline or ethanol.
Filed under Environment, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)Human Activities Impact on Global Warming
The report of the new United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), released in Paris earlier this month, gives us a new guide to support our global and national action in dealing with the common problem of global warming. It confirms that human activities are responsible in the increase emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases. International scientists have been monitoring this alarming global phenomenon since mid- 20th Century. But we can see evidence of global warming ourselves by observing the temperature increased, in many parts of the world, the widespread melting of snow and ice, and the continuing rise of sea level. There is an urgent need to find ways to stop the polar ice from melting, which lead to 4 to 6 meters of sea level rise. For the next two decades, scientists project that a warming of about 0.2 degree centigrade per decade, and that many changes in the global climate system during the next century are likely to be larger than those observed in the past century. Although action have been taken by the European Union for emission reduction, but many islands developing countries are concerned that the sea level will continue to rise for centuries to come even if greenhouse gas concentration were to be stabilized. It is important for us to follow the important work done by the Task Forces on the National Green House Gas Inventories and on New Emission Scenarios. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have done a good job to alert the World of the environmental impact of global warming. We can follow worldwide efforts by the governments and non-governmental organizations through the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Filed under Environment, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)Greenland’s Ice Melting at Fast Rate
Why should we care when Greenland gets warmer? We should. Because when glaciers turn to water as a result of global warming, sea levels rise. Greenland has 630,000 cubic miles of ice and when it melted, seawater will rise by 23 feet, scientists warned. That means many islands in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans will be under water before long. Climate change is a threat to Pacific Ocean mangroves, national parks, and ancient heritage sites. For many years, small island developing countries have asked the United Nations to take tough measures in dealing with our common problem of global warming. Civil society, Non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world are taking action to plant more trees, under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign. Community action has been taken to use new and renewable source of energy. It is time that governments of industrialized countries take serious action to reduce green house gas emission into the atmosphere.
Filed under Environment, Science | Comment (0)Skyscrapers
After 9/11 attack of the New York World Trade Towers, I am surprised why anybody should want to live or work in a skysraper ever again. They might look beautiful to the eyes of some people, but skyscrapers are monsters that eat up large amount of energy which the world cannot afford to waste. They are bad for the environment by increasing the greenhouse gases, which produce global warming. And yet, architects continue to design them and investors never hesitate to fund its construction. Two new gigantic towers are being built: the Phare Tower in Paris, and the Gazprom city in St. Petersburg in Russia. The new World Trade Towers are also being rebuilt in lower Manhattan in New York. I am not sure if we humans are supposed to live or work so high up way above the clouds. Going up and down the high-speed elevators many times, on a daily basis, can’t be good for our bodies and brains. And when there is a blackout or an accident, such as the recent airplane hitting the building putting it on fire in mid-town Manhattan, I for one, would not want to be stranded there high in the sky having to find my way down to the ground by walking in a narrow stairwell. Going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris is already too high for me, I am not looking forward to see the view of Paris from the top of the new skyscraper, Phare Tower when it is finished.
Filed under Environment, Travel | Comment (0)